>> you are watching "the journal" here on dw-tv. here are the headlines this hour. the syrian president gives no hint of reforms despite the protests throughout the country. in retreat. gaddafi trimspa take back cities. -- take back some cities, gaddafi troops. and how to stop the radioactive leak at fukushima.

the change that protesters in syria have been calling for is not coming anymore. assad spoke before parliament and did not hint once that he is considering ending the decade- long emergency law. he blamed foreigners for trying to send syria into chaos. >> the president's speech was eagerly anticipated. it was his first public appearance since the wave of unrest broke out in parts of the country two weeks ago. since 1963, his party has been unchallenged in the syrian parliament, and the party faithful are still standing behind him. he blames the recent unrest on the outside conspirators, intent on creating division and chaos in the country. >> this is an exceptional

moment, when it is testing their unity. conspiracies against the country. but thanks to the will of god, we will always succeed in overcoming conspiracies, boosting our unity and strength. >> assad said he favored reform, but he defied calls to lift the 48-year state of emergency. assad did accept the resignation of his cabinet and this we -- cabinet this week, but they have little authority anyway. two weeks of unprecedented anti- government.protests have revealed strong discontent. at least 60 people have been killed in the government crackdown. >> in libya, the rebels are in retreat. gaddafi troops took back a few cities. the rebels are calling on

western powers to send weapons, saying they cannot match the buffy -- cannot match the dauphine -- match gaddafi's ground arms. >> this is now a memorial to the fallen. benghazi is a stronghold, and rebels here say there is no going back. rebels tried to assess the situation in using their own photographs and videos. pictures from embattled towns. the latest are alarming. cities near tripoli and benghazi are now back in gaddafi hands.

they want the others to help. >> they have an open area, but they have to do something. >> the rebels know that one area could fall next, a loss that would clear the way for benghazi itself. >> the people of egypt will get a chance to vote for a new president by november. parliamentary elections will be held in september. the supreme council of the armed forces has upheld a new interim constitution that declares egypt as a democratic country that guarantees freedom of religion in an opinion. copper -- there was the ouster of president hosni mubarak last month. the italian prime minister silvio berlusconi has promised to clear thousands of migrants from a mediterranean island.

berlusconi visited the island after an outcry about a growing humanitarian crisis. about 19,000 migrants have arrived there from north africa since the unrest started sweeping the region. locals complain that their island has been transformed into a camp. rome has started transferring thousands of the migrants to other centers around the country. berlusconi has promised to complete the operation within 60 hours. the tokyo electric power company says it will permanently shut down four of the stricken reactor is at the fukushima plant. radiation continues to spread from the site. u.s. engineers and others are explaining their options of containing the leak. >> in the small village 40 kilometers northeast of fukushima, while outside detroit exclusion zone, the people living here thought they were safe -- northeast of fukushima,

well east -- outside of the exclusion zone. >> this has exceeded the data. >> the latest news from fukushima also offers no grounds for optimism. yvette tb's do not know when or even if they will be able to return home -- in evacuees -- the evacuees do not know. >> we do not know when the situation will normalize, and we do not think there will be a future for us in the city. >> operator tepco has decided to decommission four of the reactors. filling them up may be necessary. >> government and experts are considering but thesefour buildings at the fukushima-dai- ichi plant to stop the spread of

the substances. >> a they will spray it with a synthetic resin to try to prevent radioactive dust from being blown away or being watched to see. in a refugee center outside of tokyo, the emperor and others visited the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. many of them have been holed up here for three weeks now and have stories to tell. >> happen all right, do these new containment measures hold up the prospect of containing the radiation at fukushima. i put that question earlier to a correspondent who joined us in north east japan. pitt -- " >> well, they are still trying to figure out what to do with contaminated water. the contamination levels exceed 3500 times the legal limit today. the president has been hospitalized in tokyo for

fatigue and dizzy spells, and he was last seen in public the day after the tsunami, so it seems that there is some disorder within the country. also, we have been hearing about the car -- harsh conditions, some sleeping in stairwells and only getting two meals a day of crackers and, and now, they are be putting in a gymnasium about 10 kilometers away from that. it does not look like they will get this thing under control anytime soon. >> but was chris reporting from japan. and there is talk about the safety of exports being sent from japan. these products are sent around the world. it is uncertain how much radiation has leaked from the fukushima facility, and that has led many to ban food imports from the region, but they export much more than food. there are now many unanswered questions about the possible contamination of everything from consumer electronics to automobiles. airports are already screaming

ports. in the comg weeks ofeber the first container ships from japan since the crisis drug will be arriving at european ports. screening of the cargo will be a massive undertaking. -- container ships from japan since the crisis struck will be arriving. >> at the rotterdam container port, screening is routine. there are no written guarantees that the vessels have not been contaminated. >> the e.u. has asked japan to carry a increased radiation checks on anything it sends to europe. we will also be doing our own checks on anything that arrives. >> food crops from japan have been subject to additional checks since last weekend, but there is confusion over the limits acceptable in the eu,

which are higher than those after the chernobyl disaster. some say it is not strict enough. >> were ian incredible situation, where we could be importing food products from them that could be banned in japan itself. >> europe is words, but much less than 1% of food sold in germany comes from japan. >> so how vulnerable are other economies? despite the situation in japan sending a shock wave, " japan is expected to cope well in the coming months. german gdp is said to have grown 0.9% in the first quarter, twice as fast as the previous quarter. it was helped by the construction sector and growing demand for machinery and other industrial goods, and looking ahead, it is in the midterm outlook remains strong.

on the wednesday's market action, a rally in frankfurt as traders shrugged off the news in north africa. we have this report from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> prices rose, and in some places, they soared. there were the dangers emanating from the catastrophe in japan and from the fight in libya. instead, they concentrated on what they see is for the profit rise is coming from companies in the next few months. a solar company is one of the stars. it is a medium-sized company coming from the ranks of the renewable energy technology companies, and it has more than doubled its profit in the last year and is looking for further growth in the next year. it makes the so-called solar converters. the power cannot be used by

consumers. >> in frankfurt, we stay for a closer look at wednesday's numbers. the dax sought a substantial÷+ rally, pushing up to close at 7,057. the euro stoxx 50 also chalking up gains, ending the day at 2,936. about three minutes ago, 12,000,300 points. the euro trading higher against the dollar. irish life has suspended shares from trading in london and dublin after its share price went into free-fall following media reports that banking stress tests carried out this week might force it into a state control. irish life is the only domestic lender in ireland to avoid a government bailout so far.

their insurance business is profitable, and it did not have any exposure to t t commercial property market. however, its banking arm did borrow heavily to finance loans, and many are being in trouble. that is business. back over to you. >> what ever happened to -- those mortgages. more violence in ivory coast. forces loyal to the internationally recognized president have entered the capital. it is the latest round to fall in their four-month struggle against the incumbent, who has refused to step down after losing they disputed november election. -- losing the disputed november election. thousands of people continue to leave the city. a spokesman for the elected leader says the gbagbo needs to

leave and that the time for talk and cease-fires is over. the president of kosovo has resigned after just one month in office following a ruling that his election was unconstitutional. he was elected to the largely ceremonial role by parliament. this week, the constitutional board says the vote was marred by irregularities, but it added the party itself had violated no laws. the president's resignation could spark a political prices -- crisis within the government. there will soon be more female executives in a german business role, but we are not sure how that will happen. on wednesday, the 30 blue-chip dax company's net, pledging to recruit and promote more women at the top level, but they could not agree on how to do that. >> this is one of the few women

on a board of a dachshund-listed company. in this case, the energy company e.on. one in 10 directors are women. one director wants to change that, but she believes change should be flexible and introduced voluntarily at first. >> if we do not succeed in tripling the percentage of women in the board rooms, then the legal requirement to committed to the quotas will take effect. >> employment minister -- once clear legislation now. >> what i feel to be missing from the common declaration is a clear statement of the figures, the time frame, the fundamental purpose, and the strategy. >> but that is more than

political pressure. >> we have a structural deficiency of skilled workers. we know that diversity is crucial to business success and that the sword of damocles is hanging over a reputation. dax companies have pledged to draw up targets for women in management by the end of the year. >> well, it is being called cricket diplomacy. the prime ministers of india and pakistan have watched a match between their two teams together. the indian prime minister invited is pakistani -- his pakistani counterpart. it was the first game betwn the two rivals since the attack in nearby. -- in mumbai.

the winner will face sri lanka in the final. all right, stay with us.

>> welcome back, everyone. women at the top. that was the topic of a meeting today. chancellor angela merkel is looking to promote women. at the moment, there are no plans to force companies to have more female representation on their board. some in the country have already agreed to voluntary targets. >> the battle of the sexes,he oldest game in the world, but men have always had the upper hand in terms of careers. company executive board members in germany's top tea hundred companies, -- the top two hundred companies, women have a

small percentage. many ordinary germans are against fixed quotas. >> it would be curbing companies' freedom, and i do not think that is a good thing. >> it is nonsense. women are doing well. they just have to stick up for themselves. >> to be in a position of leadership, you have to have leadership qualities. >> but the proportion of women in executive positions rose by just 4% in the last 10 years, despite promises to do better. some believe a better way to help women would be to improve working conditions. >> we need to change things so that women can take on those jobs even when they have a family, and that means providing more child care facilities so that women could tackle childhood and a career of more easily. >> board members and other top female executives at the 500 biggest companies in germany shows that the idea of

motherhood and a top korea are incompatible. of those questioned, 47% named prejudiced against them by male colleaguess a significant cost none of the women said motherhood is a problem. the main problem is the attitude of men in positions of responsibility. male bosses are simply more likely to promote male employees, and there is no quota system for men. so what needs to be changed? >> the man at the top need to change the way they think about women, but that is not going to happen. >> if thats the case, perhaps it is time for the government to waive the dies differently. >> voluntary quotas have played the role of getting women into leadership positions. the critics charge they have not gone far enough. in the next report, we need a woman who co-managers a company. she did not get to where she is

with the help of quotas, but she does believe it will be a step in the right direction. the company is owned by her husband. >> the woman at the top of this baked goods manufacturer is a university professor and a vocal advocate for quotas for women in top jobs. >> women have got what it takes if they are given the opportunities, responsibility. they can demonstrate they can be leaders and motivators and that they can run a profitable company. >> there is a woman who is mentored by her. they met when she was at university. she was one of her students. now, she works for the company. >> there is a higher proportion

of women here. there are men, too, of course, but more women than usual are given a chance to pursue their careers. i am one of them. and i am very happy about that. >> be baked goods company has been in your husband's family for over 100 years -- the baked goods company. -- baked goods company has been in her husband's family for over 100 years. it now sells its breads in 87 countries. her husband has always valued having an equal partnership with his wife. they share child care duties when their children were young. there have always been strong women in his family, and in the family business. >> i am more skeptical for " this -- about quotas for women

than my wife. we have taken a sensible attitude at our company and have a great team with 40% women. i think other companies could do the same if they have the will. >> but she knows her husband is an exception. she sits on heat advisory board of a major german bank and knows how the old boy network functions. >> the positions on the company boards are often filled on the golf course. regardless of attitude. >> one company has managed to increase women in top jobs without government quotas, but it remains a rare situation in the landscape. norway has gone the furthest in demanding that women share the boardroom with men. in 2006, a law went into effect that mandates that at least

four out of 10 positions be filled with women on coorate advisory boards. if they do not comply, they face heavy fines, even closure. it has transformed the face of business in norway. >> in oslo, this looks very different five years ago. but then, not one woman was on the supervisory board. but after 2007, quota meant two men had to vacate their chairs for women -- the quota meant that. >> at first, we were skeptical. but they bring with them many new points of view that we men have not seen before. that benefits the company and our product line. >> there are special courses to show up-and-coming female board members the ropes, how to display self-confidence and network, and attract investors. more than 1000 women had profited from the program.

this woman develops products for a norwegian company. she is a successful married mother of four children. her case is typical where much has been done for gender equality. >> i am very happy with the life that i have, with the maternity leave, and on the value of fathers staying at home and taking on responsibilities. >> i think a bit of encouragement is needed so women can reach leadership positions. >> a sociologists says the extra push has helped norwegian society. he found that the experience fewer divorces and less domestic violence. -- he found that the family's experience your divorces and lessssomestic violence -- the families experienced fewer

divorces. >> it is a time to a salary changethat is the go i think the quota is important for a limited time but not forever. >> not everyone agrees with the measure. >> they struggle harder to get directorships. i do not really see it as a major obstacle to any thing. >> one woman welcomes the debate. she says it is reprentative of leading the way when comes to equal rights. >> that has been our "in depth" report. thanks for watching, and thanks for the company, everybody.

u forget it. yourself, so don't fall.

u forget it. now he tells us. how far am i off the floor? about twelve inches. twelve whole inches?